Lyon will be aiming to record a third consecutive win when they host Auxerre in Saturday’s clash at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Last weekend’s victory will provide further confidence for top-three hopefuls Lyon.
Les Gones enter this encounter on the back of a 2-1 away win over league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, a result that lifted them to third in the Ligue 1 table, while Les Ajaistes sit in the playoff spot, five points above the bottom two and four adrift of outright safety.
Lyon’s Push for European Football
The race for European places is finely poised in the closing stages of the Ligue 1 campaign, with little margin for error as only three points separate third from sixth, while seventh sits just four further back.
Back-to-back victories have seen Lyon climb three places in the league table, where they now sit above fourth-placed Lille due to a superior head-to-head, one point clear of fifth and two above sixth, with four games remaining.
Building on their win against Lorient, Les Gones secured an impressive triumph at PSG last weekend, thanks to a fast start that saw them race into a two-goal lead inside 18 minutes through Endrick and Afonso Moreira, leaving Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s effort a mere consolation.
Paulo Fonseca will be encouraged by his side’s resurgence, having endured a nine-game winless run — including six in Ligue 1 — prior to their recent upturn, and the Portuguese coach will be confident of maintaining that momentum, given his team have won 10 of their 14 league matches at Parc Olympique Lyonnais this season (D1, L3).
That strong record at the ground is underpinned by a resolute defence that has conceded the joint-fewest goals (10) at home in the division, and that solidity could prove decisive here, especially with four of Lyon’s last five top-flight victories coming alongside clean sheets.
Auxerre’s Fight Against Relegation
Meanwhile, Auxerre will fancy their chances of taking something from this fixture, having gone four games unbeaten (W1, D3), most recently playing out a 2-2 draw away to Europe-chasing Monaco.
While a point at Stade Louis II represents a positive return, Christophe Pelissier will be frustrated that his side failed to hold on after taking a two-goal lead through Kevin Danois and Lassine Sinayoko, conceding twice in quick succession moments before the hourmark.
That outcome continues a worrying trend for Les Ajaistes, who have now dropped points from winning positions in three of their last four away matches, leaving them with just one win in 15 league games on the road this season (D6, L8).
Auxerre have also struggled in the final third, with their tally of 25 goals the joint-fewest in the division, although Auxerre can draw some encouragement from having scored in each of their last six league visits to Lyon, even if their only victory in that run came back in 2009.
Meanwhile, this season’s reverse fixture ended goalless, and Les Aja